NEW research by Born in Bradford has found that mosques and madrassas have huge potential to prevent obesity and promote health in children.

A team has been conducting research in Bradford and Birmingham for the past three years, with children, parents of children attending madrassas, teachers and volunteers in mosques and madrassas, and Islamic leaders to determine whether a childhood obesity prevention intervention can be delivered using these religious settings.

Born in Bradford is one of the largest research studies in the world, tracking the lives of over 30,000 Bradfordians to find out what influences the health and wellbeing of families.

Professor John Wright, director of Bradford Institute for Health Research, said that rates of obesity in ethnic minority children are 10 per cent higher than the majority population in the UK.

This makes them vulnerable to chronic diseases like cardiovascular problems and diabetes as they grow up and healthy behaviours need to be encouraged through after school initiatives involving communities.

For health practitioners, the issue remains how to access children and families living in deprived neighbourhoods after school.

The research has shown that 91 per cent of South Asian Muslim children attend madrassas after school in Bradford on most days of the week.

Dr Sally Barber, the principal investigator for the research, believes these religious settings provide an unique opportunity to encourage healthy behaviours while keeping cultural and religious sensitivities in mind. Doing this can ensure that communities own initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy diet and physical activity for children, she said.

Dr Sufyan Abid Dogra, senior research fellow at the Born in Bradford study, added that mosques and madrassas welcome delivery of obesity prevention and health promotion initiatives.

However, the challenges are a lack of resources and infrastructure at some places of worship, and training of staff, he said, adding that there are more than 120 mosques and madrassas in Bradford with children, parents and influential community members as captive audience on daily basis.

Their potential can be harnessed to encourage obesity prevention behaviours in children and young people. For children and families living in deprived neighbourhoods in Bradford, it is vital to have access to accurate information and involvement in initiatives on healthy life and living well through community centres, places of worship and communities organisations along with guidelines from health authorities.

Mufti Mohammad Zubair Butt, an Islamic leader in Bradford, said that health promotion messages through mosques and madrassas will be more effective if they are delivered by combining NHS and scientific guidelines on living healthy with Islamic teachings encouraging the same. He said that a partnership between mosques and madrassas and health promotion organisations can result in people actively participating in healthy initiatives.

For more information about Born in Bradford, visit borninbradford.nhs.uk.